KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – When Myanmar refugee Joseph Peng Ceu fled political persecution in his home country in 2001, he envisaged a bright future in Malaysia. Instead, he became part of Malaysia’s nearly 100,000-strong refugee population with no rights to jobs and education.

As a stateless person who is not recognised by the Malaysian authorities, Peng cannot get a proper job and lives hand-to-mouth with his wife and two-year-old son in a tiny flat shared with 10 other people.

KUALA LUMPUR/CANBERRA (Reuters) – Malaysia and Australia will begin swapping thousands of boatpeople by the end of the year in a deal signed on Monday, seen as a crucial step for Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to lift her sagging approval ratings.

Both countries described the one-off deal involving 4,800 refugees and asylum seekers as an effort to combat people smuggling and protect genuine refugees.

KUALA LUMPUR/CANBERRA, July 22 (Reuters) – Malaysia and
Australia will sign a pact on Monday to swap thousands of
boatpeople, a source with direct knowledge of the deal said on
Friday, possibly helping Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard
turn around growing unpopularity with voters.

In what the source said was a one-off deal, 4,000 asylum
seekers now in Malaysia and registered with the U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees will be re-settled in Australia.
Australia in return will send 800 still-unprocessed asylum
seekers to Malaysia for refugee assessment.

(Pope Benedict receives a gift by Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak (L) during a meeting at the Pope's summer residence in Castelgandolfo July 18, 2011/Osservatore Romano)

Malaysia and the Vatican agreed on Monday to establish diplomatic ties, a move seen by analysts as a bid by the Malaysian government to appease minority Christians in the mainly Muslim Southeast Asian country. Prime Minister Najib Razak is trying to mend the government’s relations with Christians who make up about 9 percent of the country’s 28 million after a rise in religious tensions ahead of general elections widely expected next year.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will likely hold off on calling a snap election any time soon and rethink tough economic reforms to consolidate support after a rare anti-government protest highlighted the opposition’s growing strength.

More than 10,000 people took to the streets on Saturday to demand more transparency in the voting process, which they say is riddled with irregularities that favour the ruling coalition, and to urge the election commission to be impartial.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian police fired repeated rounds of tear gas and detained over 1,400 people in the capital on Saturday as thousands of activists evaded roadblocks and barbed wire to hold a street protest against Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government.

At least a dozen people were hurt in the demonstration for electoral reform in downtown Kuala Lumpur. There were no reports of serious injuries but some analysts said the police action was excessive and would dent Najib’s image.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will likely hold off on calling a snap election any time soon and rethink tough economic reforms to consolidate support after a rare anti-government protest highlighted the opposition’s growing strength.

More than 10,000 people took to the streets Saturday to demand more transparency in the voting process, which they say is riddled with irregularities that favor the ruling coalition, and to urge the election commission to be impartial.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian police fired repeated rounds of tear gas and detained over 1,400 people in the capital on Saturday as thousands of activists evaded roadblocks and barbed wire to hold a street protest against Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government.

At least a dozen people were hurt in the demonstration for electoral reform in downtown Kuala Lumpur. There were no reports of serious injuries but some analysts said the police action was excessive and would dent Najib’s image.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian police fired tear gas and detained more than 500 people in the capital on Saturday in a bid to prevent thousands of anti-government protesters from putting on a massive show of strength against Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Street protests are rare in this Southeast Asian nation, and foreign investors are worried that political unrest could delay economic reforms seen as essential to draw investment.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian police sealed off parts of the capital on Saturday in a bid to thwart a protest aimed at igniting an uprising against Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government similar to the revolutions in the Middle East.

Police set up roadblocks in the city centre and trucks mounted with water cannons were deployed to prevent the demonstration, which was planned by the opposition and an electoral reform group seeking greater transparency.